- Office of the Attorney General
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Sydney Heiberger, Press Secretary
BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has released an annual report highlighting the activities of her office’s Division of Open Government, which is responsible for enforcing the Commonwealth’s Open Meeting Law (OML). As it has done since 2010, the Division worked to ensure that public bodies conducted business transparently in 2024.
According to the report, in 2024, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) received 364 OML complaints for review. The Division issued a record 262 determination letters resolving 347 separate complaints. The Division also issued letters declining review of 58 complaints, most commonly because the concerns raised in the complaints did not implicate the Open Meeting Law. In total, the Division resolved 405 separate complaints. As a result of the record number of determinations issued in 2024, the Division’s pending complaint volume was reduced to a level not seen in many years.
By comparison, in 2023, the Division issued a total of 244 determinations and 32 declinations, resolving a total of 357 complaints.
The Division found at least one violation of the Open Meeting Law in 54% of the complaints it reviewed. The most frequently occurring violations in 2024 were:
- Insufficiently specific meeting notice.
- Inaccurate/insufficiently detailed meeting minutes.
- Failure to timely approve meeting minutes.
- Failure to respond to request for minutes.
- Deliberation outside of a posted meeting.
The Division’s primary goal is to ensure that all public bodies understand and comply with the law. To help meet this goal, in 2024, the Division trained approximately 1,300 people on the law’s requirements and hosted 19 public webinars. Additionally, the Division reviewed and updated many of its informational resources and created new resources to enhance the public’s access to and awareness of the law’s requirements.
The remedial actions most frequently ordered by the Division were:
- Immediate and future compliance with the OML.
- Amend meeting minutes.
- Create and approve meeting minutes.
- Release executive session minutes.
- Complete public body member certification.
The Division of Open Government was created in 2010 to educate, provide resources, and enforce the OML. Individuals who believe a public body has violated the OML may find a complaint form on the AGO website. Additional questions may be directed to the Division by calling (617) 963-2540, or by emailing openmeeting@mass.gov.
The Division of Open Government is led by Director Carrie Benedon with support from Assistant Attorneys General Elizabeth Carnes-Flynn, Kerry Kilcoyne, and Matthew Lindberg, and Paralegal Natalie Reyes.
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